Flexible tube coupling



Nov. 28, 1944; s. GuARNAscHr-:LLI Y i 12,353,585'v FLEXIBLE TUBE boUPLING l l 'Filed April 17, 1945V 2 sheets-smelt 1 ATTORNEY Nov; 28, 1944. s;'GUARIMSCHELLI '2,353,586

FLEXIBLE TUBE GOUPLING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 17, 1943 WW; 'i

ATTORNEY e-NT osi-lcs mm1.: 'man covrnmd Stephen Guarnaschelli, Mount .Vex-non. N. Y., as-

signor to Packless Metal Products Corporation, .New Rochelle, N. Y., a corporation of New York` Application spl-u 11, 194s, serial No. 483,361

i (ci. :pains-12) This invention relates toimprovements :de x

n A ible tube couplings ior. corrugated metallic tubes 4and its'oblect is to provide simple coupling mem- -:bers V for joining sections'oi such. tubing or for connecting an end. of such a tube to another `pipe n tting or the like, and. to form leak-prooi Joints. Another object is to so construct the device that the'sheathingwhich is .commonly used to cover the corrugated tube to strengthen it and prevent lts elongation whn subjected to internal pressure, will become securely lockedrto one of the couplings members.a

This invention is an improvement over the iiexible tube coupling disclosed `and claimed in Reissue Patent No. 21,60?, issued to me October i diameter, a bore Il which :dts over the sheath- 2 2, i940. The device howninsald reissue ishighly Ysatisfactory for with tubes of comparatively diameter. but diiculties arise when attempts arefmade vto apply it tolarge tubes.

Iwill 'describe my imllbvements in thefollowing specliication and point out its novel fea- 'to the drawings:

' f rm. lisis sectional eleetien of e flexible tube 444and its 'o'verlyins shlea -novel coupling partly g and parts ot the bled. I.

end. protone of the Y members.V

lar is split as at 22 so that it may be spread and screwed onto theV tube. 'I'he outer surface Il of thecollar is conical. .f

il is one of a pair of coupling members.` `The outer surface 3l of the body oi this member may be viiattened `for wrench engagement. It has an externally threaded portion 32 of reduced ing I2 and a' conical end opening 3l which corresponds to the shape of the outer suriace 23 of the collar.

'I'he member l0 is first placed on the tuile and then the collar 2li is screwed onto the tube from one of its ends until a part of the tube projects beyond the collar. The sheathing I2 is expanded over the outer surface ot the collar. gagement of the collar with the tube will preventv longitudinal relative movement ci these parts and after the collar is thus dlsposedonthe tube tube which extends beyond the collar to vtures in the appended'claims. yf l yiewnmnai to rie. 1 witnlau of 4- me. iinnens'eievtmlsput :ist which nanowinnnianus.

Figs. 5 @nd-dare members.

are normaito the'axis of the tube.

met n a. sectional .me simsen' ma mais walnut collar shown in" gl egd 'view 'of the so e Y il. designates 'a seamless metallic tube which has been deformed into a series oi spiral cor@ rusations li to render'it flexible. Il is a braidedl wire sheathing Iwhich surrounds the tube.

As in the former case. I provide a. collar Il,

' v the, inner' surface o i..which isj provided with spiral corrugations libia pitch and 'shape which correspondto the `outer corrugationsil on the tube. .The innerdlsmcter of the'collaris less thecomigations j y P met@ @fue mung y Y y'- the end'l ofthetube and iormslt intoasub- `Fig.'Iisasectiomleievationon;inodinedjcou-l` struction. e. v j 'F158 is a simllarview-shovring consi' struction of the coupling memberswith thede-x viceappliedtoatubeinwhich vof the-coupling member I0.

threads 42. A plurality oi spaced annular ribs M project `from this face opposite the ilattened endy Il ofthe tube.

When-the coupling members are screwedftogether the ribs Il rotating on the-end il of the `tube become seated in the latter. Tightening coupling members together further lcompresses stantially solid mass with the ribs embedded in x Vitas shown in Fig. 2. A joint thus made is leak'- proof.l and' capable-ot withstanding'high pres-v ...ure' n Y y .In the modliicati'onrshown in Flg. 5 the. coupling member A has two spaced annular ribs.

inner andouter peripheries 4 oithecompressedpendJiI-oi the tube. Y j In the modiilcaticnjsshownin Fig. 6 the coupling member 40B is constructed to have an in-` ner projection Il, the inner diameter Voi whlc isslightly smaller than the inner dlameter'- the compressed end I3 oi the tube so that it'ma'y enterA the end o i' the tube. `The outer surface Il o! this proiection'is tapered so that when the are assembled it forms a conicalv seat for thetube'. In I'iir. Bfthe annular-.ribs E which l abut against the end oi.' thev are of rounded The en- In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1-4 the annular ribs M on the member til rotate on the compressed end I3 of the tube as the coupling members are drawn together and' because of the small area. of the ribs, the friction between the coupling member @il and the end of the tube is small. The same is true of the modifications shown in Figs. 5 and 6. g

In Fig. 7, I have shown the invention applied to a union type'of coupling. In this case the ribs MB and the projection 65 are shown like those in Fig. 6, but obviously this isnot a necessary form. They project from the face of a coupling member 40C which in this case has an outwardly projecting annular flange il which is engaged by an end` flange 43 on an internally threaded sleeve it screwed onto the coupling member 3G.

In Fig. 8 the invention is shown as applied to a flexible tube IIIA of which the corrugations HA are normal to the axis of the tube and in this figure another type of coupling member is shown. The member 30A is provided with a flange 35 and the member HDB has a flange 3l. These coupling members are drawn together by bolts 38 which pass through the anges.

In this case a divided collar is used which oomprises two parts, 2t, 25, each of which has grooves 26 which t over the outside of the corrugations llA and fins 21 which extend into the spaces between the corrugations. The outer surfaces 28 of these parts are tapered. When such a two part collar is assembled on the tube and compressed between it and a conical surface 341A in the memsecond coupling member having a flat transverse surface with an annular rib projecting therefrom onto the at surface at the end ofthe tube and adapted to indent said surface and be embedded in the compressed portion of the tube when the f verse surface with a plurality of spaced concentric ribs projecting therefrom onto the flat surface at the end of the tube and adapted to indent saidl surface and be embedded in the compressed portion of the tube when the ycoupling. members are ,drawn toward each other.

3. In a coupling for a flexible corrugated metallic tube, the end of the tube being longitudinally ber 30A it is incapable of longitudinalmovement on the tube. `The tapered surfaces 28 'of the collar and the conical surface SQA' in the member 30A are shown roughened to better their grip on the sheathing l2. The operation of this arrangement is obvious.

'I'his invention may be used with unlike metals. Tubes of the character describedare usually made of soft metal such as copper and the split collar and the coupling members may be made of brass or from iron or steel.

The tubes are sometimes made of soft steel in which case the coupling member It@ is preferably made of harder steel and the split ring and other coupling member may be made of any desirable metal; such as brass, iron or steel. These and other modifications than those shown and described may be made withm the spirit and scope of the invention and I intend no limitations other than those imposed by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a coupling for a exible corrugated metallic tube, the end of the tube being longitudinally compressed and having a flat transverse surface, and a coupling member secured on the tube at the rear of the compressed portion thereof, a

compressed and having a flat transverse surface, and a coupling member secured on the tube at the rear of the compressed portion-thereof, a second coupling member having a flat transverse surface and a tapered annular projection adapted c.

to enter the end of the tube, and with an annular rib spaced inwardly from said tapered projection from said surface onto the flatsuxface at the end of the tube adapted to indent said surface and be embedded in the compressed portion of the tube and to oppose outward displacement of the end I of the tube when the coupling members are drawn together.

4. In a coupling for a flexible corrugated metallic tube with a sheathing surrounding the tube and split collar having an outer conical surface and an inner surface shaped to engage the outer surface of the tube, the inner surface of the tube` being longitudinally compressed and having a at transverse surface and a, coupling member secured on the tube at the rear of the compressed portion thereof with an inner conical surface adapted to wedgingly receive the louter surface of v of the end of the tube when the coupling members are drawn together.

STEPHEN GUARNASCHELLI. 

